Wednesday, 4/30/97 Bruins begin battle for another title Tough competition awaits against No. 2 Penn State
By Jennifer Kollenborn Daily Bruin Contributor The battle for the 1997 men's volleyball NCAA crown begins tomorrow at Ohio State in the St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Semifinal matches are set for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m, May 1 and the championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 3. In the national semifinals, No. 1 Stanford (25-3) plays No. 4 Ball State (27-7) at 6 p.m. and No. 2 Penn State (29-1) faces No. 3 UCLA (23-4) at 8 p.m. Three of the teams forged their way into the Final Four after winning their league, which clinched them automatic bids in the tournament. Top-ranked Stanford beat out UCLA 3-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) finals earning the No. 1 seed in the Final Four. Second-ranked Penn State posted a 13-15, 15-13, 15-9, 15-12 victory over Princeton to win the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and earn its automatic berth. Ball State, who ranks seventh in the latest USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 15 poll has earned the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association berth into the NCAA Tournament. The wild card berth was handed to No. 3 UCLA. The last time Ohio State hosted the Final Four in 1983, the Bruins seized their second straight league title after sweeping Ohio State and Pepperdine in three quick games. The title was Al Scates' 10th NCAA title, tying him with John Wooden for the most national championships won by a head coach at UCLA. However, this year the crown will not be so easily captured. The four teams have all played at least two of the squads prior to the tournament and the results have been mixed. ESPN2 will televise the first semifinal match on a tape-delay basis Friday, May 2 at 12:30 p.m. and the Penn State-UCLA semifinal Saturday, May 3 at 12:30 a.m. The NCAA championship match airs Sunday, May 4 at 12:30 a.m. All times are Eastern Standard Time. The matches will also be aired on KIEV Radio (870 AM) live.